Brick



Feb. 6, 1923., 1,444,167

R. B. COOPER.

BRICK, FILED F5519, 1921,

Pateiiteolv lli'eba (5, NETE@ STATES [tra En@ I RICHARD BLAIR COOPER, @F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FISKE it COMPANY, TNC.,

0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF BIASSACHUSETTS.

BRICK.y

Application filed February 19, 1921. Serial-No. 446,438.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD B. CoorR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bronx, New York. county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Bricks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improved hollow wall structure and a type of channel brick therefor, suitable for handlingand building a lire proof hollow wall giving the external appearance f standard brick construction.

ln iny present invention, l have developed an improved form of channel brick, which is of extremely simple construction, and great strength and which is also particularly designed for ease inl handling and speed in laying up in the wall. lin carrying out the invention l Aprovide a double or ytwin wall block with a plurality of horizontally eX- tending air spaces through the wall sections, together with one or more mortar receiving recesses and air channels so that the horizontal mortar courses will be interrupted-thus insuring inoistureproofness in the completed wall-and yet giving a relatively large and firm bearing space or bed for the mortar in each wall section. ln the preferred form of my present channel brick I make the wall sections of relatively large and proportionately greater area in cross section than that theretofore customary with the commercial manufacture of channel brick. This feature gives ine the important advantages of having a very strong and heavy exterior web or portion at the exposed faces of the brick and consequently of the wall, thus insuring load carrying, fire-proofing and strength. Where the wall sections in such a small building unit as that of a bricksized article, i. e., a twin wall channel brick, it is important and necessary to have the cored portions in the wall sections of,l substantial area in order to provide lightness and therefore the webs, ribs, etc., constitute the solid portions of the clay around the coredsections, and are relatively light. ln the case of fire and intense heat, the air inside these horizontal cored sections is apt to burst, by expansion, the ribs or webs. 0n the other hand, to make the walls, ribs or webs of great thickness would add to the weight and would reduce the cored area in the wall `section to so small a proportion as to render it difficult to manufacture, unsatisfactory -in drying and burning and negligible in weight saving. @ne of the advantageous features of my present channel brick is that l ain enabled to make the wall sections of my twin wall channel brick relatively large and thereby to still obtain the'advantages of lightness in weight, simplicity and ease in manufacture, drying, and burning, and still to give a substantial thickness at the outer Web'portions,

A further important feature of my present twin wall channel brick consists in the fact that by having a twin wall section rela tively'large and of a considerable proportion widthwise of the brick, l am enabled to take advantage of either wall section to con- A stitute the handhold or gripping part of the building unit. This feature is of special iinportance and eliminates the prior difliculty in articles of this type wherein the workman was obliged to extend his hand to ras ie p ribs or the like in opposite wall sections in order to lift and handle the brick. Mypres ent invention and improved forro of channel brick, wherein the Wall sections themselves are of such large area andwpreferably-the center channel or air space is of relatively small area, enables the workman'to handle ythe entire Lbrick by grasping one of the wall sectionsalone. Heretofore all channel brick, in order to be handled by the mason, have been made with the object of providing balanced gripping capabilities, i. e., with a plurality of means equally spaced with relation to the central air channel of the brick,

`which' airchannel the mason must span with his hand in order to grasp or hold the brick or be obliged to take two hands to same. My present invention presents a structure which eliminates this diihculty and which provides a channel brick capable of being handled by a non-balanced or eccentric grip or handheld. rlfliis feature l believe to be a distinct novelty in this art and l wish to claim the same broadly. By providing means in each vwall section so that the mason can grasp the saine and itl@ readily handle the entire building unit, in-

creased speed and ease of operation in channel brick Wall building isprovided; the

channel brick can be stored or stood on edge and readily grasped and moved vinto position, the mason settling the same on the mortar bed prepared for it and forcing it downwardly, the broad relatively large wall section which he utilizes as a handhold bel ing also in osition to receive the weight and pressure o the mason when settling the brick and alining 1t. It 1s a much simpler,

l easier and speedier operation of building -a channel wall structu' e. when the mason has thus hold of the exposed face or outer wall section which he is alining and positioning, truing up the same with the adjacent courses, abutting piers or other parts of the structure In order to facilitate the eccentric handhold feature I prefer to form the inner edge portions of each wall section and those abutting lon the central air space, with an over-4 air spaces through the wall sections, as well as through the center, is produced.

I may make my resent improved form of channel brick either with a plurality of mortar receiving recesses in top and lower faces ory with projecting lugs las interlocking or moisture check features,.both these forms being shown in the drawings, or with various other' modifications, but I believe that a channel brick of the kinddescribed, with suiiciently large wall sections to afford a non-balanced or eccentric grip or handhold, is a distinct novelty, and so long as this feature is present, myv invent-ion is carried out.

It 'will be appreciated that my channel brick combines the important and desirable functions of a twin wall structure, having a plurality of horizontal air spaces for insulation against the transference of heat or oold through the wall, utilizing one or more types of interlocking features, employing the channel brick idea of an interrupting space for the mortar course, having allj'ertical ribs or webs in alinement lfor loa-d carrying strength, preferably presenting the mortar' retainingy grooves and riblike ridges, as well as the light weight of the' several standard types of channel brick covered by said prior patents. In addition thereto I have devised a channel brick which has a. strong and load carrying ing durmg'intense heat, and in eii'ect allowing for a solid tire-resisting face atl veach edge of the wall, together with an extra large mortar bed on each wall section, insuring the central air recess interrupt-ing the mortar joint, and the furthernovelty and outer web face preventing burst-y advantages of the eccentric handhold `above ex lained. A

e-ferring to, the drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional vliew of one form of my twin wall channel brick;

Fig-2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall structure made of the brick of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is amodlilied form of my twin wall channel brick having interlocking lugs; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall structure with the interlocking lugs of different size, some affording a positive interlock and other lugs gii'ing only a mortar interlock and moisture checking feature in the wall.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 my channel brick vmay be formed of clay material in a continuous manufacturing operation by utilizing a die, wire cut ofi', etc., and presents two wall sections, Vunited by a central body portion 1. The wall sections are preferably duplex in order to be interchangeable and reversible--it being limmaterial which side or end is set up in the wall. Furthermore these building units are reversible upside down, i. e.,vmay be either built tinto a wall as shown in Fig. 2, or set reversely, as is illustrated by invertin the drawing. These wall sectionsI have esignated generally as 2 and each comprises a vertical outer web face 5, an inner vertical riblike member or lportion 6 and top webs 7 and bottom webs 8,

each enclosing the cored or horizontal air space 10. These wall sections form a central air channel 12 adapted to interrupt the mortar course and preferably also I form a cooperating recess4 13 on the other side of the central web 1 which will enlargethe inner mortar interrupting part designated at 15 in Fig. 2.` The recess 13 fof one brick cooperating with the central channel 12 of the next adjacent brick'to form the area 15.4

The outer faces of the'brick 5 are preferably of. sufficient thickness to take care of all strainsincurred and be a. solid, re-resisting wall, preventing bursting by swelling jof the'vconined air in the cored sections 10.v

Thisface is also of a size and area to simulate standard brick and to' interlock with 'tions also are of suiiicient extent or proportion, cross-wise of the channel brick, to const-itute a convenient and vfirm hold, when the mason,v grips one of the wall, sections.

The top and bottom arts of each wall sec.

tion may be,and preferably are, recessed at es of each wall section adjacent the 18 for increased lightness, to give a mortar retaining recess and corresponding ribs, and serving alsol as an interlock with-the mass of mortar 20 constituting this part of the. mortar course, which will find its way into Y the adjacent recesses and thus the surplus mortar in the mortar course` be utilized and largely prevented from falling over into the central channel 15 in building the wall.

.In Figs. 3 and 4 Irhave illustrated a modilied form wherein this channel brick has a body portion 2.5, twin wall sections 26, 26, and the cored centers 27 27, as well as the central air space or channels 28 and 29, substantially identical with that form shown in Figs. I1 and 2 and already described. On this form of channel brick, however, I have illustrated a pair of interlocking and projecting lugs 30, 30, extending from each wall sectionand adapted to interlock with the corresponding recesses 31, 31, in the adjacent lowermost brick. In this form the mortar cou-rse 32 is compressed by the lugs 30 which may afford a mortar interlock as shown at the two lowermost channel brick in Fig. 4 or the said lugs 30 -may be enlarged as indicated at. 35 in the topmost brick of said Fig. 4 extending into the adjacent recesses 31 and thus giving a positive interlock.

In both forms of my improved channel brick I find that in a brick for an 8 wall,

i. e., 8 widthwise from face to face, the wall sections may be and preferably are of approximately 325, widthwise 0r transversely, thus leaving kthecentral air space 12 in one form and 28 in the 0ther,vofl from about 1% between the overhanging finger grip edges of the inner wall portions. This dimension of 3 or 3i gives a suitable, satisfactory, rml and easy grip or handhold for the mason, extending almost into the vcentralarea of the brick. As the entire brick structure and the wall sections are relatively light, because 0f thefrecesses and cored areas, the entire brick structure is thus easily handled without difficulty, undue strain or tiring' the mason. The channel brick can be piled and transported, either face upand be easily and. quickly grasped and positioned in the wall. Furthermore, my presentV channel brick'can be manufactured in a most advantageous manner, the design of the brick or block lending itself with peculiar adaptability to manufacturingl either as a double or duplex block from which the two channel brick are cut, 0r as a single block. When manufactured as a duplex block,'the`relatively wide and broad resting upon the oi'bearing belt from a die f machine, without distortion, and being suiiiciently united by the relatively short or narrow body portion, cross web, or tie member 1 or 25, to prevent distortion. An additional advantage of the relatively large wall sections consists in the fact that these wall sections when made as a double block can be properly cored to form the mortar receiving recesses 18 in one form and 31 in the other, without diiiiculty, these recesses Vbeing of substantial area in cross-section, whereas extremely small and minute cores would cause difiiculty, undue friction, and unsatisfactory operation in a die machine -while also tending to clog, close up, etc.

M invention is further described and definedy in the form of claims as follows:

1. A channel brick of the kind described, comprising a plurality of wall sections and a central area connecting the lsame together, mortar grooves in each wall section, and an ,overhanging finger grip on' the inner edge of each wall section to constitute an eccentric handhold for the brick.

2. A buildin unit of the kind described, comprising a idalanced structure including abody portion, twin wall sections on either side thereof, and a handhold eccentric relatively with respect to the center of gravity of the unit.

3. Channel brick of the kind described,

comprising a bod portion and twin wall sections at opposlte faces, a plurality of handhelds formed on said wall sections, each the center of the gravity of the brick.

`In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this s ecication. ARD BLAIR CUOPER.

handhold being eccentric with relation to i 

